


Not One Before Another

by Hours_Gone_By



Series: Sea and Shore [3]
Category: Transformers – All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe – Merpeople, Aunts & Uncles, Gen, Newborn Children, Perspective Flip, Protective Big Brother Barricade, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 16:55:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30024909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hours_Gone_By/pseuds/Hours_Gone_By
Summary: Barricade always looks out for his younger siblings, even if they are adults now. He's not gonna stop looking out for his family even if one of them hasn't even emerged yet, either.
Relationships: Barricade & Bluestreak, Prowl & Barricade & Smokescreen, Prowl & Jazz & Bluestreak
Series: Sea and Shore [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2118051
Comments: 4
Kudos: 37
Collections: Trope Bingo: Round Sixteen





	Not One Before Another

**Author's Note:**

> Used for Trope Bingo: Round Sixteen – Perspective Flip
> 
> Title is taken from a quote from William Shakepeare's _Comedy of Errors_.

Barricade had already been an adult when his youngest sibling, Prowl, had emerged. After their creators and the doctors, Barricade had been the first one to hold him. Barricade remembered many things about that day, but what stood most out was feeling like he had to protect the little mech. Sure, he'd held his other sibling when Smokescreen was born, but Barricade had still been a juvenile himself then. Prowl felt lighter, more fragile, than Smokey had, though. Barricade had gotten that his creators were looking forward to the new creation, but he hadn't felt as strongly as they had about them, not until he held the newly emerged mech. Not until he'd felt that wave of protectiveness.

Barricade had still been living in the family home, and so he'd been able to watch Prowl grow up, from fragile-seeming mechlet to an adult and a capable warrior. Prowl was strong, smart, swam fast, had deadly accurate aim with a javelin, and if he'd been anyone else but Barricade's baby sibling, Barricade would've never worried about him.

When his little brother didn't come back during a storm, Barricade chafed over not being able to go out and find him. He'd gone the next day, as soon as he could, wondering where to start looking. He'd been halfway out to an island where Prowl liked to hide and watch the land-dwellers' ships when he'd been commed with a message. A messenger-drone from Prowl had been intercepted. Barricade had sped back home to get the whole message and learned Prowl was safe but staying with a sympathetic land-dweller while his t-cog repaired itself. Prowl hadn't included a location, or Barricade would have gone after him. Sure, Prowl said he was safe, but Barricade had grown up hearing stories from his first creators they'd heard from their first creators about the treachery of land-dwellers. It was a long four-day wait until Prowl swam back into the city, looking none the worse for wear. Barricade was relieved and even hugged him. Then Barricade lectured him on being careful and not going near land-dwellers anymore.

Of course, his headstrong sibling didn't listen. He started to visit with the land-dweller regularly, and while he came back okay every time, Barricade was still concerned. He worried the land-dweller was after something, luring Prowl into a false sense of security. Prowl told him he was being ridiculous, and even Smokescreen told him he was overreacting. The visits continued for a stellar-cycle, and then, once again, Prowl didn't come home during a storm. He came back the next cycle and only said he'd stayed with his land-dweller friend, Jazz, for the night. Glad that his brother was home safe again, Barricade didn't put any more thought into it than that. Not until the next cycle, anyway.

"Something unexpected has happened, and I need your help," Prowl began, looking uncharacteristically nervous. "I received notification today that I – I am sparked."

Smokescreen swam fractionally closer, taking his brother's hand. "The ignis?"

Prowl just looked at him, and that was all the answer Barricade needed.

"That land-dweller took advantage of you?" Barricade demanded, hands clenching. If that mech had done _anything_ to Prowl…! "Did he – ?"

"Barricade, calm down," Smokescreen interrupted. "You're not helping."

Prowl insisted everything had been consensual and Barricade, seeing how much it was upsetting his brother, relented. It wasn't something Prowl would lie about or keep secret, Barricade knew after he spent a moment thinking about it. He asked if the ignis would be involved, and of course, Prowl didn't know. That line of questioning upset Prowl too, and so Barricade gave that up as well. Prowl hadn't even decided to keep the kid yet – and he didn't, for deca-cycles. Once he did, though, the changes in him were apparent. Prowl had always put his all into whatever he did, and that included being a creator. He actually looked after himself, got enough rest, took mineral supplements like Barricade had been telling him he should do for ages. It was good to see Prowl happy, but Barricade still didn't trust the land-dweller's intentions once he found out about the kid. Prowl insisted he wouldn't take him, but Barricade warned him that mecha could get possessive when it came to their creations.

"Then you'll help me to protect them," Prowl replied.

"Yeah," Barricade agreed, relaxing a little. Of course he'd protect the sprocket, even if he didn't get being so attached to them right now. They meant too much to Prowl for him not to. "I will." And the land-dweller was going to regret it if he tried anything.

Not long after that, Barricade found another reason to worry: Prowl would be hospitalized for the rest of his carry. Barricade and Smokescreen both helped Prowl get settled in the room he'd been in for the next several orbital cycles, Smokescreen fussing with pillows and bed settings. Seemed like Prowl's doctor worried he might go into early emergence. Barricade didn't know much about that, but it sure didn't sound good. Barricade visited his brother every day, same as Smokescreen did, and it was surreal to see Prowl's forge grow, not to mention how relaxed and calm Prowl was.

"Do they have you on the good drugs or something?" Barricade wanted to know. "You're not usually so – " he waved a hand to indicate all of Prowl.

"He can't have drugs; he's gestating," Smokescreen corrected. "But you do seem different, Prowl."

"I'm happy," Prowl said simply. "My child is safe; every day, it's more likely they will stay safe, and – I love them." His voice caught a little. "I love them so much."

"Huh," Barricade said, not used to seeing Prowl so relaxed and – soft, he guessed, was the word. It wasn't like Prowl at all, but... "Seems weird to be so over the moons when you haven't even met the sprocket, but as long as you're happy, I guess."

Prowl ran his hands over the curve of his forge, smiling gently. "Yes, I am."

Prowl turned less happy when he finally got a message from his land-dweller friend. Seemed like the mech had gotten a job of some kind in a land-locked city, and Prowl wasn't going to get hold of them any time soon. Definitely not by messenger drone. Prowl wrote a letter instead and asked Barricade to take it to the land-dweller's house – finally telling him where it was – to give to a family member.

"What happens if you don't hear back from him?" Barricade asked as he tucked the letter into his subspace.

Prowl simply shrugged one shoulder. "Then that will be a response of its own."

Yeah, Barricade guessed it would. Barricade hoped he would hear back, though: Barricade could live with or without the land-dweller showing up, but Prowl wanted him around, no matter how much he pretended he'd be okay either way. So Barricade swam to the coordinates Prowl had given him and walked up to the little house he'd been told belonged to Prowl's friend.

"Got a message for Jazz," Barricade said gruffly when a mech opened the door. "My brother's a friend of his. Said you'd send it on to him."

"Yeah, of course," the mech said, taking the letter. "From your brother, you said?"

"Yes." There was an awkward silence, and then Barricade turned around and left. He heard the mech mutter "oookayyyy" as he left and had no idea if the letter would be sent or not. He wasn't sure which one he wanted to happen.

Time went by, and there was no word from the land-dweller. Barricade could see how worried and stressed Prowl was getting, not least because he wound up flat on his back thanks to his fuel pressure. Barricade didn't like this, and he knew how much his brother wanted to hear from Jazz.

"I think the land-dweller's ditched Prowl and the kid," Barricade confided to Smokescreen one night. "It's been orbital cycles. How long can it take to answer a message?"

"Prowl's convinced he'll show," Smokescreen said, cracking open another of the metallo-mussels they'd caught for their evening fuel. Prowl favoured them but couldn't have them while he was carrying. "He knows the mech better than we do. Besides, isn't Jazz supposed to be halfway across the planet?"

"That's no excuse for sparking Prowl up and disappearing."

Smokescreen sighed and swallowed another metallo-mussel before he spoke again. "Barricade. He had no way to know. Prowl didn't even get the prompt until it was too late to send a message. I know it's been a while, but we don't know how fast letters travel on the surface. Besides, if he doesn't show again, Prowl and the mechlet will still have us."

"I know, but it's his land-dweller he wants."

Smokescreen didn't have a reply to that, and they finished dinner in silence.

Barricade took to running patrols in the water near the land-dweller's house in case a messenger drone showed up. He got lucky one day, swimming by the beach near the land-dweller's house and seeing the mech he'd given the letter to tossing a messenger drone into the water. Barricade snagged it as soon as it got close and headed back home to give it to Prowl.

"Barricade?" Prowl asked hopefully when Barricade walked into his hospital room carrying the messenger drone.

"Saw the land-dweller's kin toss it into the water," Barricade said, handing the drone over. "Guessing it's from your mech."

"Why were you near enough to see it?" Prowl asked curiously, hand closing eagerly around the drone. "Your patrol doesn't go anywhere near there."

Barricade shrugged. "Been going by regularly, figured if you did get a message, you'd want it fast and coming straight to you. I know it's been bugging you, not hearing from your land-dweller."

Prowl smiled up at his brother. "Thank you, Barricade."

"Yeah, well," Barricade looked away, uncomfortable with how openly emotional this was getting. "You know."

"I know."

"So," Barricade stopped himself from fidgeting, "I'll let you listen to that on your own, okay?"

"Yes," Prowl said. "Thank you."

Barricade never found out what was on the recording. That was Prowl's business, he supposed. He did find out that the land-dweller would be coming back as soon as possible, vague as that was. So, Barricade kept swimming by that beach, debating going up to the house, hoping to see the land-dweller. He didn't know exactly what he looked like, but Prowl said no one else ever used that beach, so anyone Barricade saw there was probably Jazz.

Barricade got lucky a couple deca-cycles after he'd grabbed the drone, seeing a black-and-white mech pacing impatiently on the sand. Looked enough like the relative who'd taken the letter to be Prowl's land-dwell, probably. Barricade swam close, transformed, and approached him.

"You're Jazz," Barricade said, not caring how blunt he sounded. "I'm here to bring you to Prowl."

To his credit, the land-dweller didn't hesitate, not even waiting for Barricade to get all away of the surf. "Yeah," the mech said. "Good. Just tell me what to do."

Prepared for this, Barricade strapped the land dweller to himself once they were deep enough for him to transform again and swam back to the city. They didn't talk to each other until they got through an airlock to a dry area and even then, it was only Barricade ordering Jazz to follow him. Barricade checked in with the nurse in the prenatal ward, making sure it was okay for Jazz to visit Prowl. Apparently, since he was the ignis, restrictions didn't apply to him, though visiting hours did. Barricade made Jazz stay in the hall while he went in to talk to Prowl.

"Is he here?" Prowl asked quietly when Barricade entered. "I heard you speaking with someone."

"Yeah, he's here," Barricade said. "But you don't have to see him if you don't want to."

Prowl gave him one of those oddly soft little smiles he'd only been using since he got sparked up. "Barricade. He's my mechlet's ignis and my friend. Of course I'll see him."

"He better not upset you," Barricade muttered. "Okay, fine. I'll send him in, but I'll be right outside if you need me."

"Thank you, Barricade."

Barricade sent Jazz in, warning him not to upset Prowl. Barricade seemed to wait a long time and probably would have waited longer if a nurse hadn't let him know visiting hours were over. They also wanted to know where Jazz would be staying, and Barricade hadn't even thought about that. Prowl probably had, though. Barricade stood in the doorway, seeing Jazz sitting there with a hand on Prowl's rounded forge, and knocked to get their attention.

"Nurse says visiting hours are almost over for the day," Barricade said. Prowl looked happier now that he'd talked to the land-dweller, but Barricade still didn't trust the mech. "They want to know where you want to put _him_."

"There are accommodations for non-carrying parents on this floor," Prowl said, ignoring Barricade's obvious feelings. "Jazz can be put up there if he wants to stay."

Jazz nodded. "Yeah, still some stuff we've gotta talk about."

"Alright. Speaking of which, please arrange a language download for Jazz." Prowl added, speaking to Barricade again, "and an online account. I'd like to send him some of the scans. If – if you'd like. To see them, I mean."

Barricade hoped Prowl hadn't picked up Jazz's hesitation before agreeing to that, but Barricade did. Prowl had been collecting the scans of his sparklet all along, proudly showing them to his siblings, and Barricade was pretty sure he'd been hoping to show them to Jazz too. Anyway, Barricade got Jazz set up with a room and the access and language download that Prowl had asked for and then left the mech alone.

"The ignis showed up," Barricade announced to Smokescreen once he got home. All three siblings still lived in the home they'd shared with their creators. One room had already been converted into a nursery for Prowl's kid once they emerged. "Brought him to see Prowl just under a joor ago."

"Jazz is here?" Smokescreen asked, not sounding as surprised as Barricade would have expected. "How did Prowl take it?"

"Seemed happy enough," Barricade said, swimming over to his middle brother, who was in their pantry. "Had me stash the mech in a room at the hospital and set him up with a language download, with online access too."

"What's Jazz like?" Smokescreen wanted to know, not looking at his brother while he decided on his fuel.

"Didn't exactly have a chat with him," Barricade replied, snagging some fuel for himself and giving Smokescreen some distance. "Comes across as pretty anxious, though."

"Well, remember what Prowl was like when he first found out he was sparked," Smokescreen pointed out, irritatingly rational.

"Yeah, well…you know what it's gonna do to Prowl if the mech doesn't stick around or only sticks around because he thinks he has to."

"Barricade, you're not going to try and scare him off, are you? Not this time."

"Hey," Barricade said, swinging around and pointing meaningfully at his brother. "You _know_ that Tumbler mech was trouble."

"I know, but we don't know Jazz is the same way."

"Don't know that he's not. Anyway," Barricade swallowed some fuel before continuing, "you can go talk to Prowl if you want to."

"I think I might."

So far as Barricade knew, that was what Smokescreen did when he disappeared later that night. He had it confirmed when Prowl commed them the next day, asking them to take a cycle off visiting him.

' _It isn't that I don't want to see you,_ ' Prowl assured them. ' _But Jazz and I have a lot to talk about, and I want him to be comfortable while we do._ '

' _Prowl…_ ' Smokescreen began, and Prowl interrupted him.

 _'Smokescreen, Barricade, I know you mean well, but….please. Jazz and I need time together to decide what his role will be if any._ ' Prowl added, with a little bit of an edge to his voice that sounded more like pre-sparked Prowl, ' _without my brothers trying to scare him away._ '

Barricade didn't like it and might not have listened if Smokescreen hadn't told him to agree.

"What's going to happen to him in the middle of a hospital?" Smokescreen reasoned. "Besides, I don't know if Jazz wants the mechlet or not, but I don't think he'll hurt Prowl. Let's just…leave them to it. Prowl will let us know if he needs anything."

The only thing Prowl needed was someone to take Jazz back to the surface, and Barricade half-expected him to stay there. But he came back, and Barricade grudgingly gave him credit for that. Maybe Jazz really hadn't been ignoring Prowl's needs, like Prowl kept insisting. But Prowl ran the request for transport for Jazz through Smokescreen, and Barricade himself didn't hear anything until the alert came from the hospital: Prowl had entered emergence.

"It's still early," Barricade worried as he and Smokescreen swam as fast as they could to the hospital. "I thought Prowl'd be doing better once his land-dweller showed up."

"The risk of early emergence never had anything to do with Jazz," Smokescreen reminded him. "And I think the mechlet's old enough to be safe even if they are early."

"Hope so," Barricade muttered.

By the time he and Smokescreen got to Prowl, the emergence was over and done with, apparently safely. At least, Prowl was out of the birthing pool, cleaned up and back in bed, cradling a small mechlet to his chest. The kid was wrapped up in a blanket, which made sense since he'd emerged in a hospital, and not near the warm water by the thermal vents where mermecha usually gave emergence. Jazz was crammed onto the bed next to Prowl, hand on the mechlet's back. Both of them were gazing at the mechlet like they were more precious than the fabled Matrix. Prowl barely looked up when his brothers entered; Jazz didn't look up at all, but Barricade was just relieved to see he had an interest in the kid.

"Prowl?" Smokescreen asked softly, approaching the bed. Prowl reluctantly looked up from his baby, and Barricade could just see the glow of spark light below the mechlet.

"Smokescreen, Barricade," Prowl acknowledged. He looked tired but happy. "Hello, thank you for coming."

"Are you alright?" Smokescreen asked.

"I am," Prowl assured them and smiled, looking down at the mechlet again. "Emergence was not pleasant, but he was worth it. He's _perfect_ and," he smiled, nuzzling the little helm, "I could not be happier." He shifted the mechlet a little, just enough to turn them to face their uncles. "Barricade, Smokescreen, meet your nibling: Bluestreak."

"Bluestreak?" Smokescreen repeated, drifting a little closer to the bed. "Hello, Bluestreak."

"He's really small," Barricade said, coming closer as well.

"Small for a mermech," Prowl corrected. "But Jazz says he's a normal size for a newly-emerged land-dweller. And he's quite healthy, as I thought he would be. Lifeline tells me he only needs a joor's exposure to my spark for the next few cycles."

Jazz didn't have anything to say to Smokescreen and Barricade, and Barricade wasn't even sure he'd noticed the two were there. He couldn't say he blamed him. The mechlet – Bluestreak – was weirdly fascinating to watch, even though he wasn't doing much and fell asleep not long after his introduction. It was a couple of joors before Barricade got to do anything other than watch, though: after a joor Prowl gently, carefully, shifted Bluestreak into Jazz's arms and – okay, Barricade would forgive the mech a lot for the smitten look he had when he held the mechlet. Seemed pretty sure that Jazz wasn't going anywhere soon with a look like that. Smokescreen, sitting closer, was next and spent a breem or so holding Bluestreak and talking nonsense to him before handing him to Barricade.

Barricade hadn't held a newly emerged mechlet since, well, Prowl, but he remembered how, supporting the fragile little form properly, cradling them against his chest. Bluestreak gave an almighty stretch, seeming to use all his strength, then turned his face against Barricade's chest and sighed as he relaxed. _Oh…_

For a moment, it was just like it had been, way back when, the first time he'd held Prowl. Bluestreak even looked like his creator had all those stellar-cycles ago. He made Barricade feel just as protective as he had over Prowl.

"Barricade?" Prowl asked curiously, and – okay, yeah, Prowl wasn't used to seeing him like this, all emotional and stuff.

"Yeah, I'm good," Barricade said, still looking down at Bluestreak. He was holding his newborn nibling, light and fragile, he got to be emotional. "Just – he's all new and stuff, y'know?" He brushed a thumb over a plump little cheek; Bluestreak made a little noise. "Hey, it's okay, Sprocket." He dropped his voice a little, talking just to Bluestreak. "I look after your creator and your uncle Smokey, I'll look after you too, same way I do them, alright?"

"Thank you, Barricade," Prowl said, with a smile in his voice. "We love you too."

Bluestreak didn't reply, of course, but he turned his face towards Barricade's chest and fell asleep. Good enough, Barricade thought, and cuddled him a little closer. Good enough.

**Author's Note:**

> First creators = grandparents. (Counting back from '0' so creators = parents, first creators = grandparents, and so on.)
> 
> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:  
> 
> 
>   * Short comments
>   * Long comments
>   * Questions
>   * Constructive criticism
>   * “<3” as extra kudos
>   * Reader-reader interaction
> 

> 
> Author Responses: This author replies to comments. If you don't want a reply for any reason, feel free to sign your comment with "whisper," and I will appreciate it but not respond.


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